


A Doll by any other name...

by LobselVith94



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4, Original Female Character - Fandom, original character - Fandom
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Mental Breakdown, Multi, Mutual Pining, Trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2019-10-17
Packaged: 2020-11-26 17:21:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 20,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20933894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LobselVith94/pseuds/LobselVith94
Summary: The first time he sees her, she's stumbling through the gates of his town, looking like she took on a super mutant camp. From there, he decides that maybe this Doll is the type of trouble his freakshow has been both needing and perhaps even desperately wanting.it's a rough ride for Doll and Hancock as they wander through the wastes of what she once called home to find the only thing she's got left in this world: her baby boy.(Original posts on tumblr @hancocksspouse)Feedback and comments are heavily appreciated and encouraged.





	1. Put 'em on my tab

Chapter 1

**Put 'em on my tab**

* * *

The first time Hancock sees her, she’s pushing through the doors to Goodneighbor with Nick Valentine in tow. She’s definitely a looker, that’s for damn sure, but he doesn’t have as much time to admire her as he’d like once he hears Finn already attempting to shake down the stranger for her caps. A sigh escapes him and he leans up from his spot on the wall to ‘take care’ of the greedy bastard. He can definitely get shaking down a few troublemaking drifters every so often, but the pretty lady, too? Unnecessary. She was a first time guest and it just wasn’t cool. And with THE Nick Valentine in tow as well? Highly unnecessary.

But before he was even able to get the old boy’s attention, the stranger had already called him out on his extortion and rested the barrel of her pistol beneath his chin, blowing his brains sky-high which elicits a groan from the synth by her side. He raised his brows in surprise. Someone actually beat him to the kill for once. Not a common occurrence but hey, anything could happen in this apocalyptic hellhole and he wasn’t gonna argue with it.

“Whoa ho ho, I like you already! Walk into a new place, make a show of dominance. Nice.” A small smirk graced his thin lips as he stepped closer to the pretty lady that just splattered Finn’s brains. Hell, she looked even better up close and not just because of the tight leather she was wrapped in (but again, no argument on his side). However, the look Nick sent his way told him to cut the inspection short. She raised an eyebrow at him, not saying anything but he could tell she was keeping wary of him.

“Goodneighbor’s of the people, for the people, ya feel me? Everyone’s welcome”, he clarified as he pulled a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his pocket. He lit one up and took a deep breath before holding the pack towards her. She was silent still but soon smirked back at him and nodded, accepting his peace offering.

“Yea, I feel ya”, she responded. He handed her his lighter with a wink and chuckled at the way Nick rolled his eyes at their little exchange. He decided right there he liked her. He liked her a lot.

-

“Don’t tell me you’re already eyeing up this little pawn”, Fahrenheit said, raising a brow in his direction as she crossed her arms. As it turned out, the stranger didn’t take too kindly to liars and when Bobbi had been exposed, she didn’t think twice about mowing her down. Again, something he found to his liking.

“Heh, what can I say? She’s just my type”, he said, taking a hit of the jet in his hand. Fahrenheit rolled her eyes at the ghoul.

“You don’t even know her name, much less where she’s from, or why she’s here. Didn’t you say she showed up with Nick Valentine?” Hancock waved his hand at his bodyguard as his high kicked in and he leaned back into the couch, riding it out.

“Details, details. I didn’t say I was gonna marry her or anything, geez. I’m just sayin’ I wouldn’t mind maybe gettin’ those leathers off her”, he chuckled. “Tell ya what”, he started as he slowly leaned up from his spot. “If she ends up being like that one loon from Diamond City we had to ban from town, I’ll give ya the honors of showing her the door. Fair enough?” Fahrenheit frowned a bit but thought about it for a minute before nodding.

“Fine. But be careful.”

“Careful why?” A huff left her before her brow furrowed.

“You’re the one that hired me as your bodyguard and as your bodyguard, it’s my job to assure pawns aren’t making an attempt at the king. The king falls, so does the kingdom and it’s checkmate.” Hancock nodded a bit before letting out a sigh and rising from the couch, hearing footsteps heading into his office.

“Yea, well, do your king a solid and grab me a drink, will ya? We got company.”

-

The stranger turned out to be quite the busy body. Hancock would see her hop to the Rexford long enough to maybe take a nap and then she was back out into the wastelands, making a few stops to the memory den in between. He wasn’t one to nose into someone’s business (no pun intended) but he made it a point to know everyone that came through his town out of both politeness and caution. But again, he wasn’t gonna be nosy (hah) and figured he’d see her when he’d see her.

At the current moment however, he was making his way to the Third Rail. It had been a long enough day as is between what happens in Goodneighbor and what comes in from the wastelands and it was enough to make him go through quite a few mentats and a couple of inhalers of jet. He decided to light up a cigarette and sit outside before heading in, enjoying the rare moment when he was actually alone for once. It was later into the evening and most were either turned in for the night or, most likely, in the bar he stood outside of. He was a charismatic son of a bitch, but sometimes, even he was sick of seeing people. The timer on his quiet time ran up however as he flicked away the butt of his cigarette and headed in.

Magnolia’s melodic voice could be heard before he even walked past the guard and he could already feel himself relaxing. Or maybe it was the chems still in his system but either way, he was feeling pretty good. Making it into the bar, his ebony eyes scanned the room and took in everyone’s faces. Full house tonight. And lo and behold, who was sitting at the bar chatting to Charlie but his favorite little stranger.

-

“Thanks, Charlie”, she murmured, taking a sip from the drink she had ordered. She was tired, needless to say, but she couldn’t bring herself to properly relax since she managed to escape her vault. Shaun. She had to find him. She was so damn close but still so far away and all it did was run her ragged by the end of the day.

“Yo, Charlie, my man”, a voice said as it approached her left side. A figure in a red jacket took the seat beside her and she immediately recognized it as the frock of Goodneighbor’s ghoul mayor, Hancock.

“One of the usual, govna?” the robot responded. She sees the ghoul tip his hat to the bartender before turning to her as the robots metal arms began shaking around, putting together the man’s drink.

“And put her drinks on my tab as well, if you would, Charlie”, he added in with a smile. She raises her eyebrow at him but gives an appreciative nod and raises her glass to him before downing a bit more of the alcohol.

“And to what do I owe the pleasure of not only the mayor’s company but also him covering my drinks?” she asks with a small chuckle. “If you need me to go check out another gallery for you or something, you can just ask. You don’t HAVE to butter me up. Although, it is pretty nice.” He laughs a little at her response, turning towards her.

“Nah, no buttering up. Unless that’s what you’re into”, he says with a wink before Charlie passes him his poison of choice. She let out a laugh. “All jokes aside, I actually just wanted to show a little appreciation for the stranger that’s been helpin’ out, ya feel me? And maybe even chat for a little while, seein’ as how you’ve been in my town for a while but I don’t know a damn thing about ya.” She nodded at his response, taking another sip from her drink.

“No problem. You ask nicely, I’ll do damn near anything you ask me to, so long as you can help me a bit in return should I ask”, she responded as she pushed her empty glass away. It wasn’t a lie. In order to find Shaun, she needed to do a few favors and odd jobs here and there for the caps. She was tired, but still. She had to find her boy and if running errands for strangers got her a helping hand here and there, so be it. “So, you got questions for me, mayor? By all means. Ask.”

-

“Heh, don’t have to be formal with me. You can call me Hancock. And what should I call you, doll?” The conversation was going well for a start. She didn’t seem particularly hostile or bitchy as he pseudo expected her to be, but perhaps it was just a case of resting bitch face. He knew quite a few people with that. Take Fahrenheit for example. The stranger looked at him for a second and seemed to lightly bite the inside of her lip as if she had to contemplate it for a moment.

“Well, I was gonna tell you my name but honestly, doll sounds a lot…nicer. Nicest thing anyone’s called me in a long time, actually. So, you can call me Doll. That okay?” He wasn’t gonna judge her for that one. Hancock met plenty of people out there that weren’t too keen on what mommy and daddy decided to call them and made a name for themselves instead. Besides, Doll seemed to fit her just fine. She looked kinda like one. At least, in her facial features. The leather and gun on her hip and banter said she was far from a typical doll. He took a sip of his drink and nodded his head.

“Sounds good to me. Least I got somethin’ to call you other than ‘stranger’. And where are ya from, Doll?” He took another moment to look her up and down for a minute to see where he could place her. “You seem more like a wanderer rather than someone who plants roots somewhere but I can tell for damn sure you ain’t from Diamond City.” She raised her brows and let out an almost awkward drawn out laugh.

“Hooo boy, that’s…a really complicated story and I don’t think you got the time to really listen to all of that”, she said, running a hand through her black hair and over the shaved undercut that was hidden beneath. Hancock raised a brow before looking at Charlie and waving his hand, signaling for another round for his newly proclaimed ‘Doll’.

“Sweetheart, I’m a ghoul. I got an almost unlimited supply of three things: chems, patience, and time. Try me”, he smiled.

They talked for hours, deep enough into the night after Magnolia and majority of the patrons in the bar headed home and Hancock realized that Doll wasn’t kidding when she said it was a complicated and long story and he couldn’t recall hearing a story similar to hers. She definitely wasn’t just running around the wastes for her own humor. He let out a deep breath and took a long swig of his drink, kind of at a loss for words at the current moment.

“Soooooo, yea. That’s my story”, she said as she stared off into the wood of the bar, her empty glasses by her side. “I’m just trying to find my baby and kill the man that took both him and Nate from me.” She rubbed her eyes and sighed. If the son of a bitch wasn’t so damn charismatic, she probably wouldn’t have said even remotely half of what she did. That certainly wasn’t her plan in the first place. A hand set itself atop her shoulder and gently squeezed, bringing her out of her thousand yard stare.

“Damn, doll. I…I’m so sorry. That’s…shit, man. And the vault tec rep over at the Rexford didn’t know anything?” he asked. She shook her head.

“Nope. They kept him completely in the dark. Poor guy was almost shot down when they were evacuating us to the vault. They wouldn’t let him in. Hadn’t even put him on the list and he was practically the poster boy of salesmen”, she said, biting her lip. “Went ahead and told him to go back to sanctuary since I’ve been fixing it up and Preston and them are there now. Plenty of beds and everyone’s nice so long as you’re not an asshole.”

“Heh, sounds familiar. Good that you guys got something like that to go back to after all that shit”, he said. She nodded and they sat together in silence for a short time, the only sound to be heard being Charlie whirring around the bar as he cleaned and organized the bottles. Hancock turned his gaze to her, taking in the glazed over and almost lost look in her eyes. Stuck in a new world made of the remnants of hers and filled with hostility and desperate survival in the hopes that she could find the only other person that loved her alive. He felt for her. He really did. Another sip of his drink and decided he had an idea.

“Ya know, this classy little tricorn hat of mine has been feeling a bit heavy. I need to take a walk again. Get a grip on what really matters: living free. And I’m still the mayor of this town, whether or not I’m ‘in residence’ or not. I’ve walked out of here plenty of times. Can’t let power get to my head. That’s not what being in charge of Goodneighbor is about.” She looked up at him for a moment and raised a brow at him.

“If you’re heading out, why not come with me?” she said, leaning back from the bar. He gave her a smile as he tossed a handful of caps onto the bar.

“Yeah, I like it. You might just be the right kind of trouble.”

-

**So, the original posts for this fic are all on tumblr but seeing as how the current state of tumblr is an absolute clusterfuck, it was recommended I start uploading everything here and maybe it'll actually reach a pseudo wider audience or not lololol **

**Anyway, thank you for reading and please feel free to leave feedback, comments, etc. **


	2. On ice and in armor

#  Chapter 2

* * *

Hancock had a hard time at first believing she was on ice for over 200 years when they were in the midst of a fight taking out raiders and other vicious assholes but then he’d see the way she interacted with settlers and people that needed help against the general cruelty of the wastelands and that’s when it would truly shine through that she wasn’t from this radiation infested shithole. Because kindness like hers was definitely an old school rarity that you’d only come across in people like Nick. The ones that still held onto the idea that there was still something good out there and that it was still worth fighting for. 

In a way, he actually found the contrast kinda funny. She’d have this stony, dead look in her eyes while splattering raider brains across the rubble but would then turn around and offer her blood-soaked hand to the wounded and panicked settler that hid behind the wall of the settlement they were trying to protect with the most honest look of concern he’d ever seen in a person in the wastes. 

The only reason he thought to even make this comparison was because that’s exactly what had happened on their way to Sanctuary Hills. It wasn’t anything too significant, just your basic raider assholes, but the second shots rang out and they heard screaming, they were gunning it towards the source of the commotion. 

But he wasn’t worried about that anymore, seeing as how the settlers were safe and Doll made it a point to let them know that if they ever needed her again, all they needed to do was get a message to Preston Garvey. He knew who he was. Knew about the Minutemen and had to admit he was pretty impressed with Doll for her choice in comrades. She really was for the people.

They had already made it to home base and decided to take a couple days to recharge before heading back out, giving him the chance to catch up with Preston a bit while Doll cleaned the dried up raider blood off herself.

“Well, if it ain’t the Minuteman himself. How’s it been, Preston?” he said as he lit up his cigarette, seating himself on the bench beside Sturges’ workplace. Preston wrinkled his nose a bit at the smoke but nodded. 

“It’s been better now that we have a homestead and a helping hand. Not everyday you come across anyone willing to help”, he said, adjusting the grip on his laser rifle. Hancock nodded, taking a long drag from his cigarette. 

“Quite the busy body, ain’t she?” Hancock asked, knowing Doll wouldn’t hear him while she cleaned up. Preston nodded, throwing up his eyebrows. 

“Definitely. Can’t blame her either.” They both silently agreed to the statement. How many gut wrenching stories and scenes had they come across in their time on this godforsaken rock from people that didn’t deserve it? Far too many. And it didn’t take long before their spirits were almost, if not completely, broken.

“Nice to know everyone’s already acquainted”, a voice behind them said as Doll shook some excess water from her hair. “I don’t have to worry about any fist fights or nasty comments, do I? Otherwise, everyone’s getting punished.” Hancock let out a deep chuckle and raised a brow, looking up at her.

“Oh, by all means, Doll. You can punish me all you like if you promise to make it hurt”, he winked, biting his lip. Doll let out a laugh as Preston rolled his eyes. He never did manage to get with Hancock’s humor or outright flirting but it was just how he was and Doll didn’t seem to have a problem with it. Preston gave a tip of his hat.

“Well, it’s been nice catchin’ up but I gotta get back to patrol and monitoring distress signals. Take care and for the love of all that’s good, please stay out of trouble”, Preston said, his gaze fixed on Hancock, who threw his hands up with a smile.

“What? Little old me? Make trouble? You’re breakin’ my heart, Preston”, he chuckled as Preston walked off.

Again, that thousand yard stare reached Doll’s red brown eyes and Hancock noticed it as she tied up her shoulder length hair, showing off the undercut she kept hidden beneath it.

High out of his mind or not, he was still observant and quite attentive and he knew that look all too well. It was the same look he wore for God knows how long after he left Diamond City. The same one he gazed back at himself with every time he caught his own reflection before swinging his fist and shattering that mirror that seemed to mock him incessantly. He couldn’t help but feel his stomach turn a bit, knowing she was probably in that same mindset he was. She was too good of a person to have to bare that burden.

“So, I gotta ask ya, Doll. The power armor over there. Yours?” he piped up, offering her a cigarette in an attempt to distract her from whatever intrusive thought had made her space out. She took the cigarette and nodded as he lit it for her.

“Yea. She’s not pretty yet but she’s been good to me so far. Once I finish repairs on her and upgrade her a bit, she’ll be ready for the glowing sea”, she said, smoke seeing from her lips. Hancock threw his brows up in concern after hearing her intended destination.

“The glowing sea? You sure that’s a good idea? I mean for someone like me, it don’t matter, but you? Even with the armor, you’d have to walk on eggshells to make sure you don’t piss anything off out there. One dent in your armor and you could be heading home with a glow”, he said. She nodded her head.

“Believe me, I know. But that’s where I have to go. Someone living out there can help me find Shaun.” A bit of silence resumed around them as Hancock quietly sighed.

“Well as far as repairs go, what do you got left to fix on it? Other than some armor for the right leg and arm, of course.”

She hopped over to the armor with Hancock following and turned the valve on the back of it, making it pop open to reveal the frame within. Doll reached in and ran her hands down the frames of the thighs.

“For one, I have to widen the frame here”, she said around the cigarette in her mouth. He cocked a brow.

“Really? Why?”

She looked up at him before standing up and slapping her hands against her full thighs.

“Because I’m a bit thicker than the armor allows for and it’s not comfortable when you’re running around this place while sweating”, she pointed out. “Unfortunately, being frozen didn’t make me drop weight, so I’m still a little bit chubbier than most people around here.”

-

Now, here’s where Hancock is gonna have to take a pause for the cause. Imagine, if you will, a record scratch suddenly rattling through Hancock’s chem ridden brain out of the clear blue.

Because yes. Yes, he noticed.

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph did he notice. And why did he notice, you may ask yourself?

Because, friend.

She was THICC.

He didn’t appreciate her in leather for no reason. No, my friend, she filled out that leather and it stretched snug across her thicc thighs all the way up to her full, round ass that was shaped like an upside down heart before taking that curve inward to that waist he could swear up and down he could break his goddamn neck on. And when it got just a tad too warm and she decided to take off the matching jacket to reveal her fitted white shirt beneath, it was enough to damn near give him a fucking heart attack.

Now, she didn’t have an outrageously large chest or anything but they just fit into her build so damn well, he was glad nobody could quite tell what or where he was looking unless he moved his head in that direction.

Of course, it wasn’t just about those assets. She also had some damn nice arms. They were thick and he could see the muscles in them bulge when she had to go hand to hand with someone once her ammo was spent.

She was short. All of ‘5,3” to be completely honest, so his ‘5,7” towered over her and all it did was make her that much more appealing when he would be able to look down and know she was compact but strong as Hell and ready to fight anyone anytime anywhere.

He wasn’t even gonna bullshit around it.

Little fucker made him weak in the knees without trying.

Hancock wanted nothing more than to wrap his long arms around her small but strong frame and hold onto her with his head buried in her neck and just take in her warmth (and maybe get a little ‘freaky’).

But now wasn’t the time for him to be thinking about all that as he shook himself out of his own mind in time before Doll called him over to her.

“Wanna help me make her pretty?” she asked, pulling tools out of the large tool box beside her. He smirked and flicked the butt of his cigarette away.

“Sure, why not. Gotta look as nice as the owner, right?”

-

**It starts slowly, I know but it'll catch up eventually. I'm also gonna be posting the one shots and prompts as well.**


	3. For your own good...

##  Chapter 3

He could get her talking for hours on end and she still wouldn’t divulge any personal info to him. Not that he was prying or anything like that but normally, when you talk to someone, you’re able to glean some info about them during the conversation. She was becoming his best friend and he couldn’t even tell you what her favorite color was. Hell, he thought about just flat out asking to see if she’d tell him.

They were seated at a table placed in the garage of her old house, her weapons spread across the top as she cleaned each piece.

Again, frozen for 200 years but you’d never think it with the way she was taking apart and putting together each of her weapons. Seemed like she did it on a daily really.

“How’d you learn your way around a gun so easily, Doll?” Hancock asked, currently cleaning his own shotgun. She let out a small shrug and was silent for a moment.

“My husband”, she murmured. “He was military. Decided to teach me everything he knew. You know. ‘Just in case’.” She let out a bitter chuckle as she reassembled the barrel of her rifle.

“Well, it sounds like he had the right idea”, Hancock softly added, cleaning out the barrels of his own weapon and kinda feeling bad for asking at the mention of her deceased spouse. She nodded slowly in agreement.

“Yea…guess he did. Heh, you know, it’s…it’s kinda funny. I used to tease him about it. Call him ‘paranoid’ and would even bitch sometimes when he woke me up to do target practice before we had Shaun”, she reminisced. Her hands slowly came to a stop as she continued on, recalling memories she hadn’t thought of since her release from the vault.

Hancock popped a couple mentats and made sure the table was clear of ammo before lighting up a cigarette and passing the pack across the table towards Doll.

“He never failed to remind me that he was doing it for my own good. Because he loved me and in the event he could no longer protect me, I had to do it myself. But after we had Shaun”, she slowed, clearing her throat as she could feel the the lump beginning to form, “after we had Shaun, it didn’t seem like I’d ever need it. I was a housewife. I was a mom.”

She was opening up to him. For the first time since they decided to team up and try to fix the Commonwealth, she was letting her guard down bit by bit and it made him feel a little warm on the inside to know that she trusted him enough to let him in (or maybe it was just the radiation making him warm).

“After Shaun was born, I made it a point to keep up with everything Nate taught me because for once…there was something in the world I loved more than Nate and I knew I had to protect it. I just…” and her eyes began to blur a little. “I didn’t think I’d be alone to do it. And I never suspected I would be so helpless as to watch someone take them both from me and not be able to do anything about it.” Doll’s jaw clenched and she wiped her eyes, grabbing the cigarettes off the table and lighting one up, taking a long drag. 

“Look, Doll, I…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset ya like that”, Hancock began to apologize but she chuckled a little.

“It’s fine. You didn’t mean to and besides, I guess I needed to get it off my chest anyway”, she said, biting her lip. “’Peace is the enemy of memory’. It’s one of the things he always told me. If you don’t remember the cause, you’ll forget the reason you do the things you do.” Hancock nodded in agreement.

“Damn. Sounds like the man really knew his stuff if he’s droppin’ wisdom like that. What else did he tell you?” he asked. 

-

She smiled a bit as she recalled all the things he taught her during their time together.

“A lot. Used to drive me crazy how he was right about stuff all the time”, she chuckled. “It was almost like he could strip the world to its bare bones just by looking at it.”

A frown suddenly settled on her face as she took another drag from her cigarette.

“But there was always one thing that stuck with me and now, I think I get it”, she said. Hancock raised a brow.

“What was it?” He asked. She looked up and met his eye.

“War. War never changes.”

-

That one line kept Hancock up for quite a while that night.

It had gotten later and after some jet and a couple drinks, Hancock decided to call it a night and get some rest before they headed out in the morning. At least, that was his original plan and somehow, it devolved into him lying there, staring at the ceiling, high as fuck, and thinking on what Doll told him.

A deep breath escaped him and he rubbed his eyes before pinching the remnants of the bridge of his nonexistent nose.

It was gonna be a long night.

His eyes wandered to the doorway where some of the light from the lantern in the other room bled into the hallway. Doll insisted on sitting up for a while longer to finish something and he didn’t question it but that had been what he assumed was a good hour and a half ago.

The thought to go check on her crossed his mind but the jet in his system made a yawn creep up on him and he decided to take advantage of his sudden surge of exhaustion and shut his eyes, finally passing out.

-

Morning was signaled by the chirping of rad ravens outside and Hancock rolled over with a displeased groan as he rubbed his eyes.

“Ugh, up and at ‘em”, he muttered as he sat up and stretched. His eyes wandered the room for a moment before he grabbed his jacket and headed into the bathroom to clean up.

-

“So, Doll, on the way out, I was thinkin’-“ but Hancock was cut off when he realized he was the only one in the house.

“Aw, what the hell? Did she take off without me?” He sighed.

“No, I didn’t.”

He turned and saw her walking through the door, a pair of shades covering her eyes looking like she had been through the wringer. He let out a chuckle and crossed his arms.

“Heh, well good mornin’ there, sunshine. You party without me?” He said, laughing as she flipped him off.

“Kiss my ass, Hancock”, she mumbled. He wiggles his brows suggestively.

“Is that an invite you’re throwin’ my way there?” She chuckled as she ran a hand through her hair.

“Maybe later. Ready to head out?”

“Lead the way.”


	4. What’s on your mind...?

#  Chapter 4

-

“Do you purposely look for these guys or do they just follow that ass like the rest of us?!” Hancock shouted to Doll over the hailstorm of bullets flying over their heads as they crouched behind the wall of a destroyed building.

She rose and fired a few rounds off, killing one of the Raiders and wounding another before crouching back down to avoid getting her head blown off.

“To be perfectly honest, at this point, I think it’s my ass really!”, she yelled back, pulling the pin on a grenade with her teeth before tossing it over the wall. They both covered their heads as the explosion happened, the sound of rock, rubble, and body parts scattering.

They stopped for a moment, listening for any sign of life on the other side but they couldn’t hear anything. Carefully, she reached over and grabbed a raider’s arm that had been blown over their cover wall from the grenade and waved it around the corner. No voices and no bullets responded.

“I think we’re all clear”, she said, tossing the limb aside with a small disgusted shiver.

“Could use some jet after that”, Hancock said as he shook the inhaler already in his hand. Doll let out a small chuckle and strapped her gun back to her hip before going to (what was left of) each raider body, seeing if they had anything worth taking.

“Damn, this guy is loaded up”, she mumbled before turning to Hancock. “Hey, zombie daddy.”

Hancock turned, his brow raised before catching a box of mentats she tossed his way. Grape, too. Nice.

“Heh, ‘zombie daddy’, huh? And where’d that one come from? Not that I’m complainin’”, he said as he pocketed the box before lighting up a cigarette. “You can call me daddy any day.”

She shrugged, rummaging through an ammo box.

“Well, you did say chicks dug your sexy ‘king of the zombies’ look, so why not? Unless you don’t like it”, she said, murmuring a quiet ‘score’ upon finding a caps stash. He laughed a bit.

“Nah, it’s fine, Doll. Just can’t recall the last time someone called me ‘daddy’. Could make it a habit”, he suggested with a wiggle of his brows, to which Doll simply smirked.

“Oh, don’t you wish”, she said as she drew her gun once again. “Alright. You ready?”

Hancock flicked his cigarette away and reloaded his shotgun.

“Guess so. By all means, after you, sunshine”, he said as they carefully snuck into the crumbled store.

-

“Well…that coulda gone better”, Doll mumbled, spitting blood from her mouth to the side.

“I mean yea, but we’re alive, right?”

They both lit up their cigarettes.

A dark bruise started to form on Doll’s right cheekbone along with a cut against the left side of her jaw. A torn strip from her t-shirt acted as a tourniquet around her arm to stop the bleeding from a stab wound until it could be cared for and she was finally fully able to breathe after getting the wind knocked from her but she had a bit of a limp from getting her right knee kicked out from under her.

Hancock didn’t have to deal with bruising but he did have a cut going down the middle of his bottom lip that luckily was shallow enough to not be too obvious, just a bit bloody, along with internal bruising to a couple ribs, his tailbone, and a bullet graze on his left leg.

-

So. Funny story. They went out to clear out some raiders that were harassing one of Preston’s beloved settlements, right? Well, as it turns out, not all raiders are loud-mouthed, obnoxious asswipes because as they turned a corner, one of them quietly came from the other side with a switchblade in hand, catching them by surprise and swiping it across Doll’s jaw, causing her to drop her rifle.

“Motherfucker!” She growled, pulling her blade from her pocket before going hand to hand with him. The scuffle alerted two other raiders to their presence, taking Hancock’s attention off his companion and onto the asshole’s running down the hall towards them.

A shotgun shell to the knee quickly took one of the raiders down for the count but the one following behind him began firing rounds off at Hancock, grazing his leg and catching him off guard long enough for him to run up and knock him onto his ghoul ass and use his own gun to try to choke him out before he lifted his right leg and kicked the raider square in the chest. The raider’s gun went skittering across the floor. With a growl, he decided to wing it and go hand to hand with Hancock, landing a blow into his ribs before Hancock swung the butt of his shotgun across the raider’s face and flipping it in time to fire the shell into the raider’s head, finally killing him.

A small moment of relief washed over Hancock but it was short lived when Doll’s scream grabbed his attention.

“Doll!” He turned, seeing the raider’s knife buried in her arm. “Oh, I’m feral now!” The raider kicked her leg out, making her drop to her knee but Hancock ran up behind him, putting his gun around the raider’s neck and flinging him over long enough for Doll to gather herself. In retaliation, the raider swung his arm downward towards Hancock, catching his bottom lip.

“Ah! Fucker!” He yelled, staggering backwards. The raider made his way towards him but stopped, his body violently jerking as shots fired off into his back, making his armor clad body hit the wood floor with a loud thump. Doll panted and tossed the 10 mm off to the side.

“Y-you okay, Hancock?” She asked, slightly hunched over but still standing. He slowly nodded, trying to catch his breath.

For a moment it was quiet, but they heard rustling too late when the raider Hancock shot in the knee suddenly swung his other leg up into Doll’s abdomen, knocking the wind from her and making her drop to the floor. In frustration and panic at not being able to breathe, she yanked the knife from her arm and slammed it into his forehead, finally killing him as she rolled over, trying like hell to breathe. The sound of Hancock’s shoes quickly tapping against the floor and stopping by her side to sit her up was comforting as she did her best to force air back into her.

“Shit, you alright?” He asked, pulling her up against him. Air slowly made its way back into her and she shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut as she tried to subside some of the panic it induced.

Hancock looked her over with a frown, his black eyes stopping at her bleeding arm.

“Hold still real quick for me”, he said, reaching into the hidden pocket of his jacket. He pulled out a stimpak and quickly injected it into her arm, quietly apologizing upon hearing her growl but her breathing steadied out and the bleeding eased up.

“Need a tourniquet”, he mumbled, his eyes wandering the room. There wasn’t anything around for him to utilize and he wasn’t about to grab something from ANY of the filthy raider bodies around the room.

“Here”, he heard Doll say. He looked down and saw her unzip her leather jacket, revealing the shirt beneath as she grabbed the frayed hem and attempted to tear a strip off but failing as she only served to make the bleeding in her arm resume. Hancock pushed her hands away.

“Whoa now, calm down, I gotcha, Doll”, he assured her, tearing off a long enough strip before sitting her up. “Gotta take yer jacket off, sunshine, otherwise you’re just gonna have leather rubbin’ against it and makin’ it worse.”

She grumbled but carefully shrugged it off with his help before he began wrapping up the stab wound, Doll clenching her teeth the whole time.

“There we go. And look at that, another victory on our side and we didn’t die”, he chuckled. Doll simply nodded her head and Hancock knew she was trying to ignore the pain. “Look, I know chems ain’t as much your thing as mine but I got some med-x to ease that for you. I wouldn’t offer if it was a graze or scratch but you got a full blade shoved through ya and I know that’s gonna hurt for a while.”

She quietly bit her lip for a moment before sighing quietly.

“Can you inject it for me, then?” He nodded.

“Yea, I gotcha, sunshine.”

-

And so, here they were. Sitting in one of the empty rooms devoid of rotting raiders as it got late outside, waiting out til morning to head back to Sanctuary. Luckily, the room they found was better furnished than the others so they were at least able to be comfortable enough for the night.

Doll was seated on the couch by the window Hancock was currently perched on. His eyes wandered the streets below, seeing small movements here and there but nothing close enough to see them and get curious, which satisfied his slight worry. At their current states, it did them more good to lay low for the night than risk letting the wastes finish them off.

Speaking of current states, his attention turned to Doll, who didn’t see him look her way with her eyes fixed on her pip boy. Small blips and beeps and taps sounded from it, filling the relaxed silence in the room.

The bruise on her cheek turned darker, making him frown. A pair of knuckles was on the floor of the room they fought in and he was pretty sure she was unlucky enough to have caught them across the face, making him feel shitty. He’d make it a point to head in before her from now on. The cut on her jaw was shallower but still stood out against the mixed tone of her skin.

“How ya feelin’ there, killer?” He asked as he shut the window and sat on the arm of the couch Doll was stretched across. She shut her pip boy off and sighed.

“I mean I’ve been better but I’m still alive so hey. No worse for wear. You?” He chuckled a bit.

“Eh, I’m all good. Not much you can do to a ghoul to really hurt them. Then again, I did take that fall on my ass pretty hard.” She let out a quick breath through her nose that he assumed was a short laugh as she got up and approached him.

“You sure? Your lip is still kinda bleeding”, she pointed out, swiping her thumb over his chin and wiping it over her pants.

“A bloody lip is gettin’ off easy compared to takin’ steel in the arm so yea, I’m sure I’m good”, he grinned.

Silence took over again and his eyes followed her, noticing her gaze staying on either the floor or her pip boy but he didn’t mention it. It wasn’t like he was much to look at, anyway. He couldn’t blame her. But at the same time, it felt like something more was on her mind. The air around her was…heavy. And not just because of the dust in the room. He shut the door of the room and locked it, in case anyone tried to visit in the night before sitting on the other side of the couch across from Doll.

“So, tell me, sunshine. What’s on your mind?”


	5. Not now...

##  Chapter 5

At first, she just sat there silently and stared blankly at him, taking stuttered breaths as if she was going to speak before closing her mouth and for a moment, Hancock almost thought he broke her. 

Her eyes began to dart around the room and Hancock decided he needed to say something to bring her back down from the evident freak out she was about to have.

“Mind if I talk for a minute?” He asked. She looked up at him.

“Is everything alright?” The worry was evident in her tone and she seemed to have forgotten about freaking out. He waved his hand.

“Yea, yea. It ain’t anything bad.” Her shoulders slowly relaxed a bit. “We’ve been traveling together a while and I never got to really say much on it, but…just you takin’ care of Bobbi. I ain’t proud of havin’ to put you through that.”

Doll sat up more from her spot and kicked off her shoes before folding her legs under her and lighting a cigarette, leaning closer to listen to him.

“That sort of dictatorial shit. Ain’t usually my style.”

She watched the way his brow furrowed at the mention of Bobbi. She raised a brow slightly.

“You seem awfully torn up about Bobbi. Was there…something between you?” She asked, concerned that she might’ve fucked up more than she thought. He let out a light chuckle and shook his head.

“Nah, Doll, nothin’ like that. I just…hate seein’ guys like me use their sway to do that kinda harm. Ya feel me?”

He gently bit his lip and for a second, got lost in his own thoughts about the way everything went down.

“Hell, that sorta bull’s the whole reason I became mayor in the first place”, he said, running his thumb over his lip. “Some ass named Vic ran the town for…hell, I don’t know how long before that.”

He lit a cigarette and took a deep breath in before letting the smoke billow from his mouth and nose hole.

“Guy was scum”, he continued on. “Used us drifters like his own personal piggy bank. Had this goon squad he’d use to keep people in line. Every so often, he’d let them off the leash, go blow off some steam on the populace at large.”

-

Doll’s full attention was on Hancock. So much so, that she could read his pitch black eyes and could see everything he was saying right now was still a fairly fresh memory.

“Folks with homes could lock their doors, but us drifters…we got it bad. There was one night, some drifter said something to them…” his tone began to slow down and Doll could practically see the memories flashing in his eyes like emergency lights.

“They cracked him open like a can of cram on the pavement…and we all just stood there. Did nothing.”

Again, silence took over and Doll frowned.

“You can’t blame yourself, Hancock. It sounds like you were outmatched,” she said. “Probably would’ve killed you, too.”

He nodded his head, rubbing his thumb over his bottom lip.

“You’re right, but it was still spineless…I felt like less than nothing”, he recalled. “Afterwards, I got so high, I blacked out completely. When I finally came to, I was on the floor of the Old State House. Right in front of the clothes of John Hancock.”

A small smirk made the corner of his mouth quirk up and the air around them felt a little lighter, despite all the cigarette smoke.

“John Hancock. First American hoodlum and defender of the People. I mighta still been high, but those clothes spoke to me, told me what I needed to do. I smashed the case, put them on, and started a new life. As Hancock.”

At this point, Doll’s cigarette was already 3/4s burnt through and she didn’t even notice or care. She was too engrossed in what Hancock was saying and watching the way his eyes and face changed with each new sentence.

“After that, I went clean for a bit, got organized, convinced Kleo to loan me some hardware. Got a crew of drifters together and headed out into the ruins, started training. Next time Vic’s boys went on their tear, we’d be ready for ‘em.”

“You…don’t think the clothes of John Hancock actually…’spoke’ to you, right?” She asked, the question kinda nagging her. He laughed a bit.

“Nah, I just felt, ya know, a connection. It seemed like he and I were dealin’ with the same shit - serious oppression. So, the night of, we all got loaded, let Vic’s boys get good and hammered, and burst from the windows and rooftops where we’d been hiding. They never saw it coming. We didn’t have to fire a shot.” A darker chuckle rumbled from his chest. “We didn’t HAVE to. But we sure fuckin’ did. It was a massacre.”

Doll was practically a child now, enthralled by everything he said like a kid at story time.

“Once we’d mopped up, we strolled right into Vic’s quarters in the State House, wrapped a rope around his neck, and threw him off the balcony. And there I am, gun in hand, wrapped in Hancock’s duds, lookin’ at all the people of Goodneighbor assembled below. I had to say something. That first time I said ‘em, they didn’t even feel like my words.”

He looked up at her and smiled.

“‘Of the People, For the People!’ Was my inaugural address. Became Mayor Hancock of Goodneighbor that day. And from then on, I vowed I’d never stand by and watch. Ever again.”

The ashes of Doll’s cigarette had piled on her knee and she didn’t notice til the cherry got too close to her fingers before she put it out and flicked the butt aside, putting another between her lips and lighting it.

“You fought so hard to become Mayor. Why leave?” She asked, wanting to hear more. He let out a shrug, taking another drag of his cigarette.

“I ain’t really the ponderous type. When an instinct takes hold, I listen. This time around, instinct said I should join up with you.” He winked at her. “Seems it was a good one. I just hope you get where I was comin’ from. I ain’t out to bring harm to anyone that didn’t earn it. Though, I’m getting the distinct idea you got the same plan.”

He let out a little laugh as he brushed some of the ashes from his lap and leaned back against the arm of the couch he was sharing with Doll.

“Well, you probably heard enough of me running my mouth for one day. If you’re not careful, I’ll talk your ear off.”

She kinda smiled a bit.

“I don’t mind, but I gotta ask. Why suddenly open up to me? Not that it’s bad, I just…I don’t know, I’m just curious, I guess”, she asked.

“Well, sunshine, we’ve been traveling together for a good little bit here and I gotta say, it’s been awesome, goin’ around doing some good in the commonwealth. Figured maybe now since we had some time we could just sit and chat a bit, tell each other about ourselves. You don’t gotta if you don’t wanna, but I just wanted to make my stance on our arrangement clear and where I’m comin’ from. Ya feel me?”

She nodded her head, leaning back to relax.

“Yea. I feel ya”, she chuckled, the mood in the room lighter.

“Heh, not gonna lie, though. I had my doubts when we first teamed up on how well you’d be able to hold your own.”

Doll’s mouth fell open comically at his sudden confession, making them both start laughing.

“Oh, really now? What kind of doubts? I, for one, find that to be quite rude of you, Mayor Hancock”, she playfully griped, making him laugh harder.

“Pfft, Doll, are you kiddin’ me? You looked like you’d fallen out of the Vault THAT DAY. I swore up and down I’d see you pickin’ your teeth outta the gutter by sun up.”

Doll wiped a laughter tear from her eye.

“Yea, well, surprise, bitch. I still got all my teeth”, she said, cheesing to show off all her teeth that even she was surprised were still intact. “I hope you weren’t makin’ bets on that, otherwise I’m sure you would’ve been handing off more than a good handful of caps.”

“Heh, luckily, no, I didn’t. It’s just rare these days, finding someone who’s not just willing to take things the way they’re handed to them, ya know? Too many good folks not willing to get their hands dirty and too many assholes taking advantage of it.” He shook his head as he took off his hat and set it on the floor atop his shotgun.

“I mean, Hell. Look at what happened to Diamond City. Before McDonough took over, it was a half-decent place to live. Sure, a little stricter than what I go for, but not terrible. I thought he and I had a pretty happy childhood”, he mumbled. Doll quirked a brow.

“Childhood? You grew up with that ass kissing prick?” 

Hancock flicked the butt of his cigarette away and lodged another between his lips, nodding as he lit it up. 

“Yea. That ass kissing prick is my brother”, he said with a chuckle, seeing the look on her face at the word ‘brother’. Before she could say anything or apologize, he continued talking. 

“Don’t worry about apologizing, Doll. You’re right. He is exactly an ass kissing prick. Again, the place was a half decent place before he took over. Decides he’s gonna go and try to get elected with his anti-ghoul crusade - ‘Mankind for McDonough’.” Hancock let out a sigh and shook his head. 

“Before you know it, you got families with kids lining up to drag folks they called ‘neighbor’ out of their homes and throw ‘em to the ruins.”

“And what about you and McDonough?” she asked. 

“Grew up in a shack on the waterfront. Guy was the standard big brother - entitled, punchy, liked to shove rotten tatoes down my shirt and slap my back, but…I never thought he’d be capable of something like what they did to those ghouls”, he grimaced, running a hand over his head as he filled his lungs with smoke, craning his head back to breathe it out. 

“But…how could they do something like that?” she asked. Disbelief was clear in her tone and John really wished more of that would’ve been present when it all happened in the first place. 

“There’d always been a pretty big gulf between the folks living in the stands and the folks down in the field.” 

Doll knew it to be true, running into a few of those people during her first visit. 

“McDonough ran on it because he thought enough of those upper stands assholes would vote for him”, he continued. “Guess he was right. I remember storming into his office above the stands after the inauguration speech. He was just standing there…staring out the window, watching as the city turned on the Ghouls. He didn’t even look at me, just said: ‘I did it, John. It’s finally mine’.”

He ground his teeth slightly at the memory, recalling how his brother just stood at the window and admired his handiwork as if it was a crowning achievement to turn people against someone else because they’re different. 

“Should’ve killed him right there”, he murmured, more to himself then Doll. “But I don’t think it would’ve changed anything. Instead, I pleaded with him, begged him to call it off. He said he couldn’t. He had nothing against ghouls. He was just ‘carrying out the will of the people’. And he couldn’t betray the voters. And then…”

Hancock trailed off for a moment, spacing out into nothing in particular, the memories becoming more and more vivid the longer he talked. 

“He smiled. That hideous, fucking mile-long smile. He never smiled like that when we were kids. I didn’t even recognize him.”

Doll cocked her head for a moment, confusion hitting her. 

“Wait. What do you mean you didn’t recognize him?” she asked, leaning sideways against the couch. He shook his head. 

“I don’t know. Just didn’t seem like the guy I grew up with. When I first heard the rumors he’d been swapped with a synth, thinking back on that night, I thought it made a lot of sense. But now. I don’t know. I don’t think I buy it.”

“Why not?” He shrugged again and shook his head, finally blinking after staring at nothing for so long. 

“I’ve seen him sense then and there’s no way they copied him that perfectly. Even got his tight ass walk”, he grumbled, making Doll laugh a little.

“But at the time, I just needed to get the Hell away from him. Him and that whole damned city.” A look crossed his face, one of pure disgust. Maybe at McDonough. Maybe at himself.

“He…murdered those ghouls”, she replied. He nodded his head, another cloud of smoke seeping from his mouth.

“Him and that whole damned city. I still wasn’t a ghoul at this point, so I didn’t have to leave, but I couldn’t bring myself to stay in that cesspool after that.”

At this point, Hancock’s mouth was on autopilot. Everything was just spewing from his mouth without much thought. All the frustration and tragedy and disappointment just flowed from him like the steady stream of chems through his beloved town and he didn’t seem to think much on stopping except to light another cigarette, not that they could kill him.

“I’d been sneaking off to Goodneighbor for years to get decent chems, so I knew he safe routes. I managed to track down a couple of the families, lead ‘em there, but most couldn’t get used to the Goodneighbor lifestyle.”

He never blamed any of them for that one. They had little ones with them, and even though he really didn’t have any paternal instincts of his own, it felt like a common sense thing that perhaps they wouldn’t stick around long.

“I brought them food for a couple weeks, but after a while, they just disappeared. Folks in Diamond City signed their death warrants and all the good people were willing to just sit by and watch”, he remarked.

The conversation went from a little ‘get to know me’ to a full on, unintentional vent session and honestly, neither minded. Doll liked listening to him talk and he had a plethora of emotional baggage he had been carrying with him for longer than he was willing to admit but the more he talked, the lighter his shoulders became.

“I felt like I was the only one who saw how screwed up things truly were, who couldn’t just pretend things were fine. Still feel that way…or I did”, and his gaze shifted to Doll. “Until I met you.”

Her eyebrows raised in surprise and the almost innocent look on her face made his chest feel a little warm as he did his best to hold in a grin.

“I know I run my mouth, but having someone who sees the world for what it is and is willing to do something about it…it’s meant a lot to me. I feel damn lucky to have you as my friend, Doll.”

-

A small warmth settled in her stomach and for a second, she didn’t know how to respond to his sudden display of appreciation. But she had to say something before it got awkward or he got uncomfortable, so she fell back on her number one defense mechanism. Humor.

“Hehe, you’re not goin’ soft on me, are ya, Hancock?” She said with a smirk and a cock of her eyebrow, to which he replied with a smile as he threw up his hands.

“Hey, everyone’s entitled to some softness”, he shrugged. “For me, it’s pretty much everything below the eyebrows.”

At that, they both broke out into another laughing fit and Doll had almost forgotten how good it felt having someone to laugh with since her escape from vault 111. It had been a while since she felt any semblance of happiness, no matter how brief, and she had a tendency to hide it all with her endless supply of witty sarcasm and all around ice breaking humor to hide her awkwardness and ever present anxiety.

But this time, it was real. It was genuine and she didn’t have to pretend or hide. Not with Hancock. The last time she was this happy or relaxed around anyone was her last day with Nate and her son and the memory grounded her back to reality a bit.

“Well, thanks for hearing me out. You probably weren’t looking for a history lesson, were ya?” He chuckled. Doll shrugged.

“It’s all good, Hancock. It’s good to know who I’m traveling with”, she said.

-

Currently, Doll was seated on the bed, her back against the wall and arm balanced on her knee as she stared out the window, shifting her gaze between the night sky and the ghoul currently passed out on the couch beside the window sill. She had tried to offer him the bed but he simply told her to ‘can it and get some sleep’ before kicking off his boots and putting his hat over his face, passing out in mere minutes.

Insomnia was a motherfucker. She had it before the war and damn it all to Hell if it didn’t follow her 200 years later. Normally, she’d go outside and find something to do like maybe some target practice or general wandering ,but she was still in pretty rough shape and she didn’t wanna disappear and freak Hancock out again, so she stayed put, staring longer at Hancock then intended.

He was a good guy. He really was. There was no doubt in her mind about that. He reminded her of Nate in numerous ways, but at the same time, she saw him as purely Hancock. The flirty, sarcastic, wise ass ghoul Mayor of Goodneighbor that was ready to stab a man for harassing her without even knowing who the Hell she was or what she was doing in his town. He had her back and she had his and that meant more and more to her the deeper they delved into the wastes.

And suddenly, her stomach dropped. A cold sweat broke over her and nearly lead to panic as she silently got out of the dusty old bed and into the room across the hall, shutting the door before pacing, running her hands through her hair, and taking fast, deep breaths that made her dizzy.

This couldn’t be happening. She couldn’t be crushing on him. Not now.


	6. Wing man

##  Chapter 6

Supplies on the way back to Sanctuary were running low. Doll was in need of more ammo and stimpacks, as well as Hancock, who was also running out of jet. 

“My little slice of Heaven is close by”, Hancock said, his shotgun slung over his shoulder. “and Kleo is always stocked on ammo. Wanna take a pause there? I gotta check up on everything anyway.” 

Doll shrugged. 

“Sure. Might as well. Don’t really wanna have to stop in Diamond City for anything”, she said, rolling her eyes upon remembering the crazies there. 

She did her best to keep talking at a minimum since her realization the night before regarding the man beside her in an attempt to keep it from going beyond a little crush. As long as she kept busy and kept her mind elsewhere, it would go away or fade or she’d forget about it. That was the logic she was going on at least. So, a good bit of the walk to Goodneighbor was spent in silence, which didn’t seem to bother Hancock at all. Then again, nothing really seemed to bother him but it could have something to do with the jet and mentats he kept in his system. Can’t complain much when you’re high. 

-

Day quickly bled into night in Goodneighbor. Stocking up was brief and before they knew it, they were both seated in the Third Rail, chatting up Charlie.

Or rather, Hancock was chatting with Charlie. Doll’s mind was everywhere except with her, fixing her gaze on the wood grain of the bar while simultaneously not looking at anything in particular. Not even Magnolia’s voice snapped her out of her daze. Her brain was on autopilot to a point where before she realized it, her drink was finished, making her wordlessly push the bottle away.

This didn’t go unnoticed by Hancock. Just because he never mentioned it didn’t mean he didn’t see it, but he normally chalked it up to her being tired, mentally or physically.

It’s not like she was very talkative in the first place anyway, but he couldn’t deny how the air about her felt heavy.

“Still with us there, Doll?” He chuckled, waving a hand in front of her face. She blinked and shook her head slightly.

“Hm? Oh. Yea, I’m here”, she mumbled, signaling to Charlie for another drink.

“You sure? Looks like you got something on your mind, sister. Wanna share?” He asked, but she just let out a small laugh and took a sip from the bottle Charlie passed her.

“Nah. Just tired, is all.”

It technically wasn’t a lie. She was tired. For a multitude of reasons. And trying to ignore something your brain insists on screaming takes a lot of energy.

Hancock also knew that that wasn’t a full truth. He spent a good portion of his life running away from himself in various ways to know what it looked like but if she wasn’t ready to talk about it, he wouldn’t force it from her.

At the same time, he was worried about her. Hancock was observant as Hell and picked up on her various habits here and there. Her coping mechanisms, one of which was her periods of silence. She would be fine for a while, but then, would have a phase of just not speaking as much, if at all, like it just drained her to communicate.

He didn’t want to be a hypocrite and try to tell her about how it wasn’t healthy to keep it to herself or cover it up or anything like that. But he also knew that it would do her more harm than good if it kept up.

A light tap on his shoulder caught his attention and he turned his head, locking eyes with a pretty blonde woman he’d never seen before. A drifter of some type, he assumed. He knew everyone in town and he’d never seen her before. Her pink lips curled up into a smile that he returned.

“Well, hello there”, he said, tipping his hat to her. “And how might I help you?”

She took the seat beside him, not noticing Doll on his left side.

Doll, however, noticed her and was kind of thankful she appeared.

“My name is Hayleigh and I just came into town”, the blonde said, twirling a lock of hair around her finger. “I’ve heard a lot of things about Goodneighbor and, correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t you Mayor Hancock?”

A grin spread over his face and he nodded.

“The one and only. Nice to meet you, Hayleigh. And what exactly brings you out here to my humble little town?” He asked, not that he really needed to.

This wasn’t the first time he had been approached by a drifter wanting something from him. His reputation made it into a room before he ever got there and the look in her eye was a dead giveaway but again, she wasn’t really making it a point to hide her intentions.

“A few things really. However, there is one thing in particular that I heard about and wanted to…try for myself”, she said, raising her brow as she gently placed a hand on his thigh, making him chuckle.

Now, he was kinda conflicted. On one hand, he was never one to turn down a good time when it was literally throwing itself at him. But on the other, he had a feeling that Doll shouldn’t be left alone. It wasn’t just a feeling, it was a gut feeling. And Hancock was always one to trust his gut, but before he could politely decline, he felt Doll drop something in his pocket before patting him on the back.

“Have fun”, she chuckled. He turned his head towards her for a second, a small smirk on his face.

“You gonna be okay?” He asked, still worried but she raised her bottle to him with a smile.

“I’ll be at the Rexford. After all, it wouldn’t be very polite for the mayor to turn down the pretty lady’s request for a ‘tour of the state house’, would it?” She said, raising both her eyebrows. “Of the people, for the people.”

The presence of her more light hearted side eased him a bit and he grinned before raising his glass in return and tapping it against hers, downing the rest of it and rising from his seat.

“You make a good point there, Doll. I’ll catch ya later”, he said, wrapping an arm around Hayleigh’s waist. “Don’t skip town without me, got it?”

She smirked and rolled her eyes.

“Alright, dad”, she sarcastically remarked as she waved him away, the blonde stuck to his side. The smirk on her face quickly died and she gently pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Charlie”, she called, making him spin. She raised her hand for another as she downed the rest of her bottle and pushed it away.

She was gonna get over this little ‘crush’ one way or another.

-

‘Well, it was fun while it lasted’, Hancock thought to himself as he lit up a cigarette, taking a quick glance at Hayleigh and getting up, rolling his shoulders and strolling over to his window. He couldn’t be bothered to clothe his top half and simply adjusted and zipped his pants, taking a seat on the window sill and looking out over his town.

It was peaceful, which was a rarity but one he wholeheartedly welcomed. Majority of Goodneighbor turned in for the night, either willingly or with the aid of alcohol and some chems, making it easier to hear the wind blowing through the string lights around town.

Sitting by himself and admiring it all seemed a bit strange without Doll around, though. He wasn’t alone, as he could clearly hear Hayleigh’s raspy snoring (which surprised him) but he had gotten used to Doll’s company and seemed to miss it. Sure, she was right below him in the Third Rail, but she wasn’t sitting WITH him and it made him feel…well…lonely.

He enjoyed being alone. Liked being left to his own devices to think and perhaps have a little fun here and there, but he quickly learned that at the same time, he didn’t like being lonely. Didn’t like being left to the thoughts and feelings in his own head in the later hours when there was nothing else and talking to someone he trusted had made it easier for him to drift to sleep (with or without jet).

Footsteps interrupting the silence of the street below caught his attention and he looked down to see who it was, catching Doll crossing the street towards the Rexford, a bottle in hand. He kinda chuckled and watched her for a minute as she slowly strolled over to the sidewalk, taking a sip from the bottle in her hand and shaking her head. If he had to guess, that was probably whiskey in her hand and it made him kinda smirk as he continued watching her.

She tossed the bottle into a nearby bin and turned her back towards the Rexford, leaning against the wall and sliding down to a sitting position as she propped up a knee and lit up a cigarette, the wind carrying the smoke away. He thought about calling to her to get her attention but decided against it and kept watch on her in case someone was looking for a fight. It was unlikely, but still. She was inebriated and a lot can happen to someone drunk and alone in the middle of the night. Especially in the commonwealth.

He furrowed his brow a bit at the realization that he was watching her like some doting mother hen. She was an adult and was fully capable of handling herself. What was he doing?

‘I’m looking out for my friend’, he thought. That answer seemed to satisfy the voice in his head.

He turned his attention back to where his companion sat across the street and noticed her head buried in her propped up arm and a light shake to her shoulders.

Was she…? She was…

And he really couldn’t blame her. His shoulders kinda sagged at the sight of Doll sitting on the sidewalk alone crying in the middle of the night. How many nights since her escape from the vault had she spent like that? Just by herself with alcohol and tears, mourning the loss of her spouse while trying to locate the only thing she had left? Her boy?

Hancock flicked the butt of his cigarette away and sighed, getting off the window and strolling into his office and onto his couch.

A quick puff of jet and he was out for the night.

-

‘Black. Everything around her was pitch black.

“Shaun?! Shaun, honey where are you?! Shaun!” She screamed. A flash of white flickered in her eyes and suddenly, she was back in the cryopod.

Panic rose in her throat as she slammed her fists against the glass as hard as she possibly could. The door opened and she fell harshly into the metal floor, gasping for air before looking up at the cryopod in front of her. The room suddenly went pitch black again, leaving only her and her spouses cryopod visible.

“Nate? Shaun?!” She yelled, quickly rising to her feet to hit the pod door button. Slowly, the door creaked open, revealing Nate but no Shaun, frozen in time, the bullet wound in his head covered in red frost.

“Nate…Nate, please! Nate, wake up! I can’t find Shaun!” She screamed, trying to shake him back to consciousness. “Nate, please I can’t do this alone!”

Sobs racked throughout her whole body as she leaned her forehead against his chest.

“How could you let them take him?”

Doll’s head shot up and she looked at Nate, who suddenly had his gaze fixed on her, his eyes still glassy and frozen.

“What kind of wife lets her husband die?” He said. She backed away.

“Wh-what are y-“

“What kind of mother lets her child be taken?”

Her throat clenched and her eyes spilled over with more tears. His accusing eyes stayed fixed on her as his features defrosted, making the bullet hole in his head bleed out. His eyes rolled back in his head and he began to gargle and choke as blood began to pour from his mouth and cover him while his body shook uncontrollably.

And all she could do was scream.’

-

Doll shot up from the bed, her breathing heavy and eyes wide. The dream was still fresh in her mind and for a moment, she didn’t recognize the room she was in until she grounded herself back into reality and slowed her breathing, putting her head in her hands.

A dream.

It was just a dream.

But the tears on her face were real.

-

Constructive criticism or something is cool. Please?


	7. Morning after

#  Chapter 7

“So, who was the blonde this morning?” Fahrenheit asked, moving a piece across the chessboard without even looking. Hancock chuckled as he rubbed his chin, trying to think of a way to counter her.

“Just another ‘tourist’”, he said, moving a pawn slowly. “Same old, same old. Gave her the ‘tour’ and sent her off with her ‘souvenirs’”, he said. Fahrenheit let out a snort like laugh and made another move across the board, snatching up one of Hancock’s pawns. A small ‘dammit’ left his mouth.

“And your new friend? It’s been a couple of months now. Have you given her the ‘tour’ yet?”

Hancock quickly shook his head, contemplating his next move.

“Nah. I can’t do that to her. Sure, I’ve had some thoughts, but this one? No way”, he said. She raised a brow.

“Oh? Why? Does she bat for my team? If so, be my wingman here”, she smirked. He laughed a bit but shook his head.

“It’s not that. She just…I respect her too much, ya feel me? I mean I ain’t one to judge anyone’s fun but she ain’t somethin’ to just be a fling, ya know? She doesn’t deserve that”, he said, his mind recalling the image of her crying alone in front of the Rexford. “She deserves…Hell, I dunno. Nice shit. Like flowers and sweet nothings and a hand to hold her up when she’s down. Not just a ‘wham, bam, thank ya, ma’am’.”

The redhead’s eyebrows shot up a bit at his response as he finally moved another piece on the chessboard and for a second, Fahrenheit wasn’t too sure if she wanted to point out what he just said or go with it.

“Fair enough. And where is she?” She asked, deciding to gather more info before making an assumption.

“The Rexford. I was gonna offer for her to stay here for the night til the blonde bombshell stepped in. I was actually reconsidering having her over but Doll assured me it was all good and even wingmanned me so I went for it”, he responded. Fahrenheit nodded.

“Did you have fun, then?” She inquired, scooting a pawn over to draw out the game rather than win it. Hancock shrugged.

“Eh, while it lasted. Which wasn’t that long really but it was okay. She snored a lot, though so I just crashed out on the couch”, he said, eyes fixed on the board. Fahrenheit laughed.

“Heh, it was ‘okay’? Sounds like you weren’t even really into it.”

“Honestly, not that much. She was hot, but that was all there was to her. More vanilla than normal, but hey, I ain’t gonna say no if someone wants to throw themselves on top of or under me”, he chuckled, lighting up a cigarette as he set his hat beside him, running a hand over his head.

“I don’t know, Hancock. It almost sounds like you’re low key regretting it”, she said, slowly beginning to draw more out of him. “I’ve never heard you talk about a ‘tour’ like this before.”

-

She was right and he knew it. Any tours he had before he never complained about and would sometimes even give her the dirty details, but Hayleigh…

Well, he just wasn’t really feeling it. Last night, during, or this morning, actually.

There was no denying Hayleigh was a hottie with a slamming body (haaaaa rhymes), but he just couldn’t bring himself to be that into her (metaphorically, not physically). Normally, he would’ve been all for it and then some. Making flirty jokes, pinching and grabbing here and there, innuendos whispered into ears along the way.

But it wasn’t really like that on his end. Hayleigh grabbed and whispered and even left lipstick from the neck down on him (that he luckily was able to clean off before Fahrenheit saw him) and it worked for a little while but there was no real want behind it. Just physical reaction.

Maybe he was just getting older.

Maybe.

A loud rumble of thunder jerked him out of his thoughts and back to the chessboard in front of him.

“Ain’t sayin’ I regret it. Just sayin’ it wasn’t one of the better ones”, he shrugged, moving another piece.

-

His distracted demeanor gave Fahrenheit a clue as to what was going on in his head and she internally cackled. She was gonna enjoy this.

“Well, I mean if you weren’t really into getting the cookie, what would you rather have been doing?” She asked, countering his piece without ending the game.

“Honestly, I was pretty content just sitting with Doll at the bar. She’s been…I dunno…quiet lately. I’m kinda worried about her. It ain’t her normal quiet. Something’s buggin’ her but she doesn’t wanna tell me and I’m not gonna force her to. I just wanna help her out a bit, ya know?” He said, frowning. “I’ve seen those looks she gets before on my own face. I know what head space she’s in. I just don’t know how to approach it, ya know?”

Fahrenheit sighed and shook her head lightly.

This poor, clueless ghoul.

-

Doll had been awake since 4. She wanted to catch a few more hours of sleep since it was raining so hard outside, but she was too afraid of seeing her spouse doused in blood again.

The pouring rain outside had kicked off a migraine, keeping her shut in her motel room. Luckily, she had already paid for an extra night when she woke up and could feel it start up (and the alcohol from last night didn’t help at all).

She took a sip from her can of water and pulled her knees up to her chest, letting out a sigh. Doll had a million and one things she needed to do and she currently couldn’t do any of them without running the risk of vomiting everywhere or being blinded by light and sound and for the first time in over 200 years, she had to deal with it without Nate and that just made her feel worse.

The fact that Hancock wasn’t there to maybe distract her from the pain for a little while didn’t make her feel any better.

She ground her teeth slightly.

‘Way to go, jackass. Thinking about your dead spouse and then bringing up the man you’re crushing on. Real nice. Fucking dipshit’, she thought.

At least being in her motel room gave her an excuse to low key avoid him.

For a little while.

-

“Checkmate”, Fahrenheit said, smirking at Hancock.

“Ah, Hell. I thought I had ya this time”, he sighed, leaning back into the couch.

“So, you guys heading back out today?” She asked, lighting a cigarette. Hancock shook his head as he approached the window, leaning his arm on the frame.

“Doubt it. Doll can’t handle weather like this. Causes her migraines and I don’t think the slight radiation in the water makes it any better. She’s a vaultie so she’s still a bit sensitive to the rads”, he said, looking at the Rexford.

His response almost made Fahrenheit let out an ‘awwww’ at how cute it was he remembered all of this about her when sometimes, he couldn’t even find his own pants. It was evident he thought nothing of it, but from an outside looking in view, she found it to be precious and surprising all in one.

“I see. So, she’s gonna stay in the Rexford til you guys leave?” She asked, trying to see how much she could poke. He shrugged.

“Actually, I was gonna bring her over here so I could keep an eye on her til we headed back out. She’s tryin’ to prep her power armor so we can head into the glowing sea”, he said, turning from the window to Fahrenheit, who simply smirked up at him with a cocked eyebrow.

“What?” He said, lighting a cigarette.

“Nothing, nothing. It’s just kinda cute how you know all these little things about her and keep up with her schedule yet when you’re here, you can’t even find your left shoe without help”, she said. He rolled his eyes.

“I’m kinda supposed to. That’s what she’s got me travelin’ with her for. I got her back-“

“And she’s got yours”, she said, finishing his sentence. “I get that, believe me. I just didn’t think you’d take to babying someone like this.”

He chuckled at her pokes.

“Yea, yea, bite me. I ain’t ‘babying’ her or nothin’ like that. Just helpin’ her keep her head on her shoulders.”

“Yea, okay ‘Mama Hancock’. You gonna wrap her up in a blanket and carry her like a princess, too?” She laughed, baiting him. He cocked a brow.

“What? You think I won’t?”

“20 caps says you won’t”, she smirked.

“Oh, you’re so on”, he said, already heading out the door. “Might as well throw those caps on the fuckin’ table, Fahr.”

Hook.

Line.

Sinker.

He was gonna owe her caps one day, but for now, she tossed them onto the table and propped her feet up.

-

Doll tried desperately to at least put on her more armored clothes. She really did. But the pain in her head was just making every muscle in her body so tense, she wanted to crawl out of her skin. The only thing she was able to put on was her leather jacket and shirt and the leather immediately felt like the most uncomfortable material she’d ever let grace her skin before.

“Fucking bullshit”, she growled, her teeth clenched as she tore off the jacket and threw it across the room, followed by the bloodstained and torn up shirt.

‘I need to find Shaun. How the fuck am I supposed to find him if I can’t even handle light, sound, or wearing real fucking clothes?!’ She thought, her hands covering her face as she stood in the room clad in just her bra and a pair of cotton sleep pants she found back in Sanctuary, shoulders slumped.

For the longest time, she just stood frozen in place, so frustrated her mind simply went blank, only leaving her with the recurring throb of pain in her head and in that moment, she almost felt calm.

A gentle knock thumped at the door.

“Hey, Doll. It’s me. Can I come in?” It was Hancock. Doll didn’t even bother taking her hands from her face and simply sighed.

“Yea”, she croaked.

“Neat. Wanted to che-oh, damn. Sorry. Didn’t know you were changing”, he said, startled at seeing her half clothed. He shut the door and kept his back turned to her.

“I uhhh wanted to see how you were feelin’ since it’s rainin’ so hard outside and we were drinkin’ last night. Hangover?” He asked, keeping his voice a bit lower for her.

“Not really. It’s not alcohol nausea, it’s pain nausea”, she said, gently rubbing her eyes. “Give me a second to pull my head together and we can head out.” Hancock chuckled.

“Doll. Who do you think you’re foolin’?” He said, humor in his tone. “We’ve been travelin’ together for months now. I already know you ain’t gonna be able to get through the commonwealth like this. You look ready to hit the floor.”

Well, he wasn’t wrong. Just standing right now was taking far too much effort, but she frowned.

“I can’t just not do anything because of some pain. I have to head out. I need to find Shaun and-“ but the sound of Hancock sighing stopped her and she could hear his footsteps approaching her before his frock found its way on her shoulders and he turned her around to face him.

“Before you work yourself up into a tizzy, lemme talk to ya for a minute. Don’t interrupt, just listen to me, alright?” He asked. Her brow furrowed but she nodded and pulled his jacket closed around herself.

“I know you’re doing this to find your boy. I know and I support you 100% all the way. I’ll stand by you and watch your back til you tell me to piss off or I’m finally taken down. But you gotta take somethin’ into account. There’s a big ass difference between us trudgin’ through the wastes on a normal day gettin’ shit done and you tryin’ to drag yourself through the dirt and havin’ to stop every hour to keep from passing out or puking from pain. You can’t do shit to help anyone, especially your boy, if you’re puttin’ yourself in harms way when you can’t even see two feet ahead of you and the bang from your own gun puts you on your knees. You’re just puttin’ yourself in a position to be killed and as long as I’m by your side, I ain’t gonna let you do stupid shit like that.”

His tone remained low but still stern and it kinda threw her off. He was normally the one taking a full hit of jet and holding it in his lungs while tearing through a group of raiders just to see if he could kill them all before letting it out. But here he was, trying to tell her as nicely as possible that she wasn’t any good to anyone, herself and Shaun included, if she were to put herself in harms way during a time that she quite obviously couldn’t handle it.

Getting self care tips from the man that did chems on a daily was kinda weird, really.

-

She was an intimidating figure when she wanted to be, despite being an entire head shorter than him. She normally had a brow cocked in a sassy ass manner and was prone to constantly rolling her eyes at the sound of bullshit.

This, however, was not one of those times.

She was not the sole survivor of vault 111 that was righting the wrongs of the commonwealth today.

She was an exhausted and pained mother that was pushing her body as far as she could to find her baby boy and at this point, Doll might as well have been running on autopilot.

She was a small woman in a big wasteland wrapped up in his jacket and baggy pants because for some reason, her shirt and jacket seemed to be haphazardly thrown in the corner of the room and he honestly wasn’t gonna question it. He simply shook his head.

“Taking a day to pull yourself together is what you need right now. I promise you we’re gonna find your boy. I swear it. But not today. Alright?”

-

Her eyes stayed fixed on the floor, but she nodded anyway. It killed her to admit when someone else was right but dammit. He was right. If she were to step outside those gates and a bullet caught her, she’d be at fault for going out, knowing she wasn’t in a condition to.

He gently pat her shoulder.

“It’s gonna be okay, Doll. Just take it one day at a time. Now, put a shirt on and gimme your bag”, he said, causing her to look at him with a questioning glance.

“Look, with you like this right now, it’d be better for both of us if you just let me look after you til we head out, so you’re staying with me”, he said, lighting his cigarette he pulled from his pocket. He jerked his head towards her stuff. “I’ll be in the hall when you’re ready.”

-

She nodded and he left the room, gently shutting the door behind him before strolling over to the banister overlooking the bottom floor and letting a cloud of smoke leave his lungs, rubbing a hand over his face.

She was topless.

He saw Doll topless.

Now, of course, he was a shameless flirt and knew it. Owned it even. But he was also a gentleman. He was polite and respectful when it called for it.

Didn’t mean he was blind, though.

-

So like. Leave me comments and stuff so i know what I’m doing. Please.


	8. Not used to sleeping alone...

##  Chapter 8

Everybody who knew Hancock knew that he could be easily distracted on his down time if he wasn’t kept busy.

The initial distraction was Dogmeat.

-

They had come across the remains of a fight between a group of super mutants and the Brotherhood of Steel not far from Sanctuary and Doll quickly scavenged pieces from their power armor to use.

Dogmeat was the first to greet the two as they walked in, hopping up onto his hind legs to his full height and draping his large paws over Doll’s shoulders as he licked her face in excitement.

“Yes, yes, I know! It’s so good to see you too, honey!” She cooed as she rubbed his ears. Dogmeat quickly let her go and treated the ghoul at her side to the same treatment, almost knocking off his tricorn as Hancock let out a laugh.

“Well, if it isn’t the most handsome man in the commonwealth. How ya doin’, boy?” He chuckled, scratching the dog’s back. Dogmeat dropped back down to all fours and trotted beside Hancock, both following Doll over to her power armor station.

Dogmeat ran into his doghouse and quickly ran back out and stopped in front of Hancock, setting his ball at his feet, tail wagging. The sight made Hancock’s heart melt a bit as he crouched down and scratched behind the good boy’s ear.

“Heh, sorry, boy. Gotta help the boss with her armor”, he said, turning his gaze towards Doll, who was pulling her jacket off. She chuckled.

“Humor him for a little while. I gotta repair some parts before attaching them”, she said. Hancock grinned and looked back to Dogmeat.

“Well, looks like it’s your lucky day, pup”, he said, grabbing the ball. Dogmeat jumped up excitedly, tail wagging a mile a minute as the ghoul tossed the ball. The pup shot after it like a bullet.

The sound of tools and metal clattering around let him know Doll was already getting to work and he put his hands in his pockets, looking back over at her.

Doll’s back was turned to him as she started work on repairing the lamp on the helmet she found, distracting her enough to keep her unaware of the eyes on her. His eyes didn’t stray as Dogmeat brought back the ball and the ghoul tossed it for him again.

It was kind of weird for him to be able to know someone the way he knew her. He didn’t follow her for any reason other than sharpening his killing skills and maybe getting into her pants, but now, they were best friends and damn near inseparable. They patched each other up, made sure the other had plenty of ammo, hell, they even shared each other’s drinks (Doll rolled her eyes every time he joked about her indirectly kissing his ‘ugly mug’).

Sure, Fahrenheit was his right hand but it wasn’t the same. She was like his daughter.

Doll…

Doll was something else entirely.

She brought him along as help but she didn’t treat him like it. She treated him like a friend she needed. Every time they stopped somewhere for the night or just a quick breather, they’d lose track of time from just sitting together, talking about anything and everything possible.

He couldn’t remember the last time he laughed as hard as he had been since being with Doll. It felt like the weight of the world wasn’t resting on them for a little while.

Or maybe he could just describe it as home?

Yea, that sounded good.

Being with Doll felt like home.

-

‘If I can just get this fucking latch to attach to-‘

“YES!” Doll yelled out of nowhere, startling Dogmeat awake from his nap in his doghouse beside the driveway.

It had been a few hours since they had gotten back and the light of day was beginning to bleed into sunset, signaling the encroaching end of their day but as far as Doll was concerned, it was a good one.

Hancock chuckled from the tool bench he was leaned against as he lit up his cigarette, admiring the now finished suit of power armor they had managed to complete before night.

Actually, that was a lie.

He appreciated the power armor for all of two seconds before his eyes drifted back over to Doll with her rolled up sleeves, showing off her full and muscular biceps that he wanted so badly to either lie his head on or have around his neck in a headlock or-

And that’s where he realized he needed to stop himself before his imagination run wild.

“She’s done and she’s beautiful”, she said, wrapping her arms around the frame and sighing. Hancock chuckled before turning his head to the sun slowly disappearing and then back to her.

“Just in time, too. Day is about over. Ready to call it a night?” He asked, grabbing his jacket from the shoulder of the armor. He watched her lightly frown.

“Not really. I might take a stroll for a while, clear my head. You can crash out for the night, though. You know where my house is. I’ll be back later on”, she said, unrolling her sleeves. Hancock raised a brow.

“You sure you wanna wander off alone?” he asked. She chuckled.

“I’m not going far. I’ll be fine”.

“Where do you keep heading out to?” 

The question left his mouth faster than he thought about it but he already said it. 

The nervous lip biting started up on Doll’s side and Hancock sighed, quickly trying to backtrack his statement. 

“Hey, look, if you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine. I just want to make sure you’ll be okay on your own, sister”, he said but Doll shook her head and let out a small smile.

“No, it’s alright. Actually…I think you should come with me”, she said.

The look that crossed her face somehow struck Hancock and he gave her a crooked smile.

-

It wasn’t often Hancock came across a place in the commonwealth that was, for the most part, barren of something that’d try to kill him, making their stroll more enjoyable than normal.

“Hell, if your walks are this quiet, I don’t blame you for taking off all the time. This is nice”, he chuckled, taking a deep drag of his cigarette. She nodded back.

“Yea. Shoulda seen it before the war”, she said, looking around at the barren trees looming over them. “Everything was green and alive. Bird’s nests and butterflies everywhere. Flowers of all different colors…” She trailed off as they approached the broken gate and Hancock took a second to look at all the skeletons scattered at it’s entrance. 

“You sure nothing is gonna pop out and try to kill us out here?” he asked, following her inside. She nodded.

“I’m sure. Nothing here is alive anymore”, she said, her tone going soft, almost heartbroken and Hancock became concerned but not for long as Doll stopped and pointed at a metal platform. 

“Stand there”, she said, walking towards a trailer. 

“Uhh, okay”, he said, shoving his hands in his pocket and standing in the center of the platform. He heard a click from the trailer and soon, Doll joined him before the floor suddenly jerked and began to lower, making him look around anxiously. 

“Relax, Hancock. It’s okay”, she said, setting a hand on his arm and gently rubbing circles on his bicep with her thumb absentmindedly as they continued lower into the vault. The affectionate gesture caught Hancock off guard but he couldn’t deny it was nice. Nothing weird or flirtatious. Just pure, innocent affection. He easily relaxed and soon, bright light flooded the platform, revealing the shiny metal room below.

It didn’t take him long to realize they were inside a vault, more specifically hers, and he could feel a small drop in his stomach.

“Damn. Cleanest place I’ve ever been in”, he said, looking around with a whistle. The gate in front of them rose and she slowly stepped into the room.

-

Flashes of the first time she had entered Vault 111 played in her mind over and over. The feeling of fear and disbelief swirling around inside her as she looked to Nate, who held Shaun closely, protectively. The way Nate looked at her in an attempt to reassure her, but even she could read the uncertainty in his eyes.

“You alright there, sister?” Hancock’s voice rang, bringing her out of her thoughts.

“Yea. I’m okay”, she said, starting up the stairs, Hancock following close behind. “Every time I come back, I can see it all over again.”

Her mouth began moving on its own as she slowly made her way through the vault.

“The sheer pandemonium as everyone rushed out of their homes towards the gates. The screaming, the crying, the fear in people’s voices. Nate’s military service allowed us entry here. Thought we were safe. They told us that we were just going through decontamination. And then…everything went black…”

Her footsteps halted for a brief moment and she squeezed her eyes shut, reigning in her rising anxiety as she felt the lump threaten to form in her throat.

Hancock remained silent, allowing her to gather herself. He wasn’t to sure where they were going but he figured it must’ve been somewhere important to her to garner this much of an emotional reaction. While he was happy to have her opening up more to him, it made his heart ache for her to see her stressed this way.

“Hey. You okay?” He asked. She nodded and finally entered the pod room. The sight of the frozen bodies elicited a sharp inhale from Hancock before she stopped in front of Nate’s silently and simply looked at him.

-

It all made sense now that Hancock realized what exactly it was he was seeing and where they were.

“Damn”, he gently sighed. “Hey, look, if you wanna get out of here…” he started but she simply shook her head.

“I haven’t gotten used to sleeping alone still”, she said. “Not used to the bed being so cold. Don’t feel as safe anymore. The second he wrapped those arms around me, I fell asleep at the drop of a hat, curled up against him. He felt like home, ya know?”

He took notice of the small sleeping bag that was set up on the floor beside the pod and the box of booze next to it. His tricorn hat traded places with one of the bottles as he sat on the sleeping bag and gently pulled Doll to sit next to him, popping the cap from the bottle and taking a sip before passing it her way, encouraging her to go on.

It was his turn to listen…

-

Sorry for the wait. Life keeps happening. Let me know what you think.


	9. Anytime will do...

##  Chapter 9

-

A few sips and she let out a deep sigh, ready to spill her guts.

‘Ready’ was a strong word to use, however.

It was more of a tightly packed suitcase situation. The zipper was pulled a little, making the whole thing ready to pop open at once but she knew how to hold it back. Keep it in.

Hell, that was the whole reason she was the way she was.

“I met Nate when I was 18. Wasn’t really on purpose, either. He worked in a shop with my mom at a shopping center kiosk. When we first met, he didn’t know I was there with my mom. I look more like my father, so he thought I was a new employee. Wasn’t until mom threatened him that he realized I was her kid”, she said. Her lips twisted into a fond but sad smile at the memory of her first meeting with her future husband.

“He had his own troubles. So did I. I think that’s why we worked together so well. We were two different types of crazy that seemed to fit together. And not once in our time together did he ever truly judge me but one time”, she said, holding up a singular finger as clarification. “And honestly, he was right to do so”.

“Oh? And what’d you do to earn that?” He asked, taking another swallow from the bottle. Doll’s hand rested against her forehead as she bitterly chuckled.

“…had to learn some lessons the hard way and one of them was my own damn fault because I was a sympathetic dumb fuck”, she said. He noticed how quickly self deprecating responses always came out compared to normal ones and he frowned.

“Sympathy doesn’t make you dumb, Doll. Could use more of that here these days”, he said. The corner of her mouth twitched and she clenched her jaw tightly.

“Pfft. Ain’t worth it. Chances of people taking advantage of it is too damn high. Especially now”. The alcohol was going down easier now. “You meet the wrong people more often than not. And back in my time, people had a tendency to cling to whatever good they could see in other people just to keep from seein’ the bad. Lotta people got hurt that way. Good people. And it kills me to know that those people got to walk around without a care in the world, living their lives, while other’s words were just…changed. Flipped on its axis and no longer rotating right. They didn’t get restful sleep for God knows how long because of how haunted they were. It…never really goes away. You just…learn to accept it and move on. Learn how to cope and do your best not to let it kill you…even if you wished it would’ve…”

He was quiet. Didn’t know what to say or offer, so he just gently handed her the bottle again, which she gratefully took.

“Nate helped me with a lot of my demons, though. Would talk me through panic attacks and do his best to be supportive during depressive episodes. I’d do the same for him, too. He had PTSD from the previous war and after he retired, was in a motorcycle wreck and had some brain damage. Not enough to completely disable him. Enough to make him sometimes forget where he was or what he was doing. Hallucinations every so often, both auditory and visual. I kept him grounded, though. We…kept each other going…”

Her eyes watered and she quickly wiped them as she took a large swallow from the bottle, grimacing at the burn.

“And if it weren’t for Shaun, I would’ve already bailed out of this…” she said, staring at the floor. “And I gotta say…when you’re really scraping the bottom of the barrel, gun metal don’t taste so bad anymore…”

Hancock reached over and took the bottle from her before standing up and offering her his hand. She looked up at him in confusion.

“Just trust me”, he said. She reached up and took his hand and he pulled her up with ease, which surprised her for a minute. Hancock caught the look on her face and smirked.

“Ghoul perks. We’re thin but we’re strong as hell”, he said as he let her hand go and headed towards the door. “Tell him good night. I’ll meet you on the platform”.

As Hancock left the room, Doll turned to Nate’s cryopod, wiping the frost from the window.

“I gotta go now, babydoll”, she whispered gently. “I’ll see you later”. She planted a kiss on the glass and slowly backed away, wiping her already watery eyes before following her companion to the platform, catching up before he got there.

“Guess its time to turn in for the night, huh?” She asked. He shook his head.

“Not quite. Not with you like this, anyway”, he said, shutting the gate of the platform behind them as it began to rise.

“Then where are we going?”

“You’ll see”, he chuckled, his mischievous smirk making its way to his lips.

“Oh, boy…”

-

“You want me to do HWAT?” She exclaimed, making Hancock put a hand over her mouth quickly.

“Shhh. Keep it down or you’ll scare ‘em away”, he whispered. She rolled her eyes at him as he pulled his hand away.

Crouched behind a bush, they watched a small group of radstags ahead of them grazing, unaware of the fact they were being followed.

“It’ll be fun, I swear. My brother and I used to do this as kids. It’s awesome once you get the hang of it”, he smiled, pulling a jet inhaler from his jacket. “Of course, this helps it go better”.

“You know this is crazy, right?” She deadpanned, but he simply winked at her.

“I mean I could think of a few other fun late night activities we could do if this doesn’t work for you”, he joked. She rolled her eyes with a laugh.

“Fine, but I wanna try this a couple times without the jet first”; she said. He nodded as he shook the container and took a hit from it.

“By all means, Doll”.

Brahmin tipping would ideally be easier than what they were currently trying to do but less fun, according to Hancock, so she agreed to try his childhood game of jumping onto the back of a radstag and seeing how long she could ride it until it either flung her off or went too far. Had she ever done this before?

No.

No, she hadn’t.

But insomnia wouldn’t let her sleep and the alcohol she had earlier had her feeling adventurous and mildly stupid, so she threw out her last fuck to give and crept towards the animal in front of her as quietly as possible.

Hancock stayed behind, watching her attempt at sneaking up on the creature and quietly biting his lip, knowing it was gonna take her a few tries to get it right. She made a leap towards the creature but missed by a couple inches, resulting in her falling over on her face and Hancock busting into hysterical laughter since the jet he took made him see it all in slow motion.

“PAHAHAHAHAAAAA!” He cackled, holding his stomach and slapping his knee while she glared at him with dirt on her face and sticks in her hair. “Holy shit, that-pffffffftttt!!! Oh, damn, Doll, you-haaaaaaaaa oh you tried!”

“Yea, yea, laugh it up, ya bastard”, she mumbled as she dusted herself off. “I didn’t make it much of a hobby to jump on wildlife in my younger years.”

“Really? Hehe, I couldn’t tell”, he jabbed as she glared at him.

“I’m gonna hop on one of them if it kills me”.

-

As many times as it was taking her to try and get it right, he was half convinced it might actually kill her and decided to approach her before she tried again. Once he could stifle his cackling, of course.

“Soooo…you give up yet orrrr…?” He slowly asked and was greeted with her hand thrust in front of his face.

“Gimme the fuckin’ jet”, she said, eyes locked onto the radstags up ahead of them. He grinned and reached into his coat pocket, handing her one and grabbing one for himself.

“Heh, that’s the spirit”, he said, patting her shoulder. “Tell ya what. Let’s hop on ‘em at the same time and have a little game to see who can stay on it the longest. Loser owes the other a pack o’ smokes. Deal?”

He stuck his hand out and she cocked a brow as she looked at him before a smirk reached her lips and she took his hand firmly.

“You’re on, ‘Mr. Mayor’”, she taunted. He grinned.

“Ooh, I kinda like the way that sounds from you. I win this, you gotta call me that from now on”, he winked.

“Pfft. You like having your ego stroked that much?” She said.

“Amongst other things”.

She laughed and playfully swatted his arm before they began creeping up on the animals ahead of them.

Doll shook her inhaler.

“Alright. We’ll take a hit and go on three”, he said.

“One…”

They shook their inhalers.

“Two…”

Both took a deep hit of the jet and held their breath, allowing the drug to seep in.

“Threeeeeee…”

Hancock’s voice was already slowing down in Doll’s head as they both made a break towards the radstags ahead and jumped.

At first, she thought she overshot her leap and was afraid she would meet the dirt again but as the radstag went to move she landed square on it’s back and automatically grabbed onto an antler from each head before it could buck her off. She looked to her side to see Hancock in the same situation except he was much calmer as he moved his hips along with the animal’s movements, resulting in him getting tossed less. Doll followed suit, making the thrashing easier to deal with before each of the radiated creatures broke out into a full gallop, hoping to somehow escape the two riding them.

To her right, Hancock let out a whoop as he held his hat onto his head, his other hand grasped firmly onto an antler as trees passed them by. The fact they were moving fast and somehow also in slow motion blew her mind the more the jet seeped into her and she took the time to look around her.

The air was nice and cold and wrapped around her as the radstag continued to run as fast as it could. The only light helping them see anything ahead was the full moon hanging above them, illuminating everything in white blue light and making the experience almost otherworldly to her.

On Hancock’s end, memory after memory of he and his brother’s shenanigans resurfaced and it actually made him smile a bit at how carefree and fun things used to be. His brother would always be better at this than him but he had so much fun, he didn’t even care.

Doll couldn’t think of a prettier picture than this moment in time for both of them.

It felt like freedom. Cold night air running through her hair that had come out of its hair tie and whipped all around her face. Shirt lightly rising, allowing her to feel the air all the way around her torso and she simply leaned her head back and closed her eyes, letting the jet and adrenaline course through her.

Hancock grinned, waving his hat above his head, letting out a shout and laugh as his coat billowed behind him like a cape.

“Heh, you sure your grip ain’t slippin’ yet?” He yelled to her. She looked to him and laughed.

“Not on your life. I know how to hold on and enjoy the ride”, she responded, keeping her hip movement in sync with the radstag’s gallops to keep from bouncing on its spine too much.

“Oh, really now? I’d like some proof of that claim, sister. Heard that story one too many times”.

The suggestive look on his face made her laugh even louder and she threw her head back, taking in the sky and letting loose for once.

Distraction was Hancock’s downfall once again. He watched her throw her head back and her ever so unruly hair wrap around her face before flying about her like a spiky black halo, making him space out and loosen his grip on an antler too much.

“Ah shit!” He yelled as his balance was thrown off and he toppled off of the animal and onto the dirt. Doll broke out into a laugh and decided to join him, kicking off of her radstag and joining him on the ground with a tumble, kicking up some dust.

“Looks like I won”, she said, smirking at him. “I stayed on longer”. He blankly looked at her for a moment and they both broke out into a fit of cackles.

“And that’s how you have fun in the ‘wealth, sister”, he chuckled, letting out a sigh and sprawling across the ground as he reached into his coat pocket and passed a pack of cigarettes to her. She smiled and grabbed them, putting one between her lips and passing one to him, followed by a lighter. The smoke rose above them and they kept their places on the ground, staring at stars.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen this many stars”, she said, taking a deep drag of her cigarette.

“That so?” Hancock asked. She nodded.

“Last time I seen this many, I was with Nate. He would tell me stories about his first time deployed for war and his favorite thing was the stars. There wasn’t really any light pollution where they were shipped to so when he and his squadron were down for the night, he’d stare at the sky all night long and they soothed him to sleep, so on our first date, he took me out to a clear spot by a lake after our visit to the bar and we stared at stars and talked all night long. Made him forget about war for a little while, so he figured it’d help me forget my troubles for a while”, she smiled. “Gotta say. He was right. For a little bit, it’s like nothing else existed but us and whatever dumb shit we had to say”.

Hancock smiled and folded his arms behind his head.

“It ain’t dumb if it makes ya happy”, he said and she shrugged.

“I guess so”.

A sudden but comfortable silence took over as they stared up at the sky and relaxed before Doll spoke again.

“What’s the Glowing Sea like?” She asked. Hancock’s face twisted between a frown and contemplation.

“It’s…well, I mean it’s pretty much ground zero. It’s where the bombs originally fell so the place is fulla nothin’ but radiation and everything that feeds off it. Hear tell there’s a group of weirdos called the ‘Children of Atom’ set up camp out there and actually worship the shit. Nothin’ good out there”, he said, cigarette smoke drifting from his lips and nose hole.

“Nothin’ but the person that can help me find my boy”, she said. She began gently biting her lip again and Hancock took her hand in his and gave it a firm squeeze.

“It’ll be alright. We’re gonna find him”.

“…swear?”

“I swear on Goodneighbor. We’re gonna find your boy if I gotta use every favor and cap I got”.

Silence again.

“…thanks, Hancock”.

-

Songs listened to while writing this:

Will Do by TV On the Radio

Wolf like Me by TV On the Radio

Lose Myself by k?d ft Phil Good


	10. Claustrophobia...

#  Ch 10

Muscular, nice hair, charming, looked good covered in dirt or grease.

The look had a name and it went by Sturges. Hell, who didn’t love the rugged grease monkey with the southern sounding accent?

Everyone found him attractive, even Hancock, who definitely wouldn’t deny taking a gander at him while he worked, his overalls hugging him just right around the thighs while he dabbed at the sweat going down his neck with his bandana and god in heaven, his arms.

He was starting to notice a pattern here but didn’t have time to think on it as the eye candy he was taking in turned his head to him and gave him a nod.

“So, how’s y’all’s adventures through the commonwealth goin’?” Sturges asked, doing last minute checkups and inspections on Doll’s power armor. Hancock smirked and shrugged.

“Ah, you know. Raiders, ferals, radiation, the Institute. Same old, same old, brother”, he said, lighting a cigarette and taking a long breath. “Speakin’ a which, how well is that armor gonna hold up in the glowing sea?”

Sturges raised his brows a bit, running diagnostics on the armor.

“Should hold up just fine, really”, he said with a nod.

“That’s good to hear”, Doll said, popping up behind him, almost scaring the man. Sturges shook his head and chuckled before turning back to the armor.

“Ya did some damn fine work on her so gettin’ through the glowin’ sea should be a cake walk. Best suggestion I can give ya is to use your vault suit under it since it’s a long walk”, he said, jerking his chin to her torn jeans and flannel. “Them suits are made for long term wear in weird conditions”.

She nodded her head, patting her hand against the chest of it.

“I’ll make sure to change into it before we leave. Gotta get some stuff here fixed up before we head out”, she said, heading towards the bridge leading into Sanctuary Hills where turrets were sitting, awaiting maintenance. Between her backside in those ripped jeans and Sturges’ backside in his overalls, Hancock didn’t know which way to plant his line of sight and took a long drag of his cigarette, smirking to himself.

“Real blessin’ in disguise, huh?” Sturges said. Hancock blinked and turned his attention back to him.

“Whatdya mean?” He asked. Sturges smiled and looked from him to Doll.

“I mean that one over there. Can’t think of a time a vault dweller came out into the ‘wealth ready to take on the world, but hell, I guess they’re real”.

He was about to agree until he saw the other man bend over to pick up some tools, making him glad he couldn’t sweat anymore when he followed up the motion with standing up straight and rolling his shoulders, making his back muscles flex against his shirt. Hancock was good and spaced out, not realizing Sturges noticed him staring and chuckled.

“See somethin’ there ya like, Mr. Mayor?” He laughed, actually flattered by the obvious gawking. Hancock smirked again and shrugged.

“Quite often these days. Gotta appreciate it while I can, ya feel me?” Sturges chuckled, walking towards Hancock while tinkering with something in his hand before locking eyes with him.

“Not yet, I haven’t”, he smirked and winked, before walking off to the other half of the settlement. Hancock stood still, thrown for a loop before shaking his head and smiling to himself.

“Yea, I still got it”.

-

Every time she had to climb into a suit of power armor, she was suddenly all too aware of how claustrophobic she was and it made things difficult sometimes.

She just zipped up her suit when it hit her and she clenched her eyes shut, taking in a deep breath as she laced up her boots.

‘You’re not doing this for fun. You’re doing this for Shaun. Pull it together’, she thought to herself, pulling her hair back into its half bun and walking out of the house to the power armor stand where her suit was sitting, back facing outward so she could crawl right in.

It was just her at the moment and she took a second to shake out her hands and legs and take deep breaths to get her nerves in check.

‘It’s just for today. You’ll be fine. It’s for your own safety’, she told herself, eyes still shut as she lightly jumped up and down on her tip toes, rolling her neck.

“You’re fine. Pull it together”, she murmured to herself as she bounced in place to try to loosen up and relax.

She was stuck enough in her own head to not notice Hancock coming out of the house after chatting with Mama Murphy and the first sight he was greeted with was Doll’s backside jiggling around as she jumped.

‘Maybe today is gonna be good after all’, he thought, watching for a moment longer and lighting another cigarette. A sigh escaped him once he realized why she was shaking herself out so much and he almost felt bad for ogling.

Almost.

“Ain’t a fan of tight spaces, huh?” He said, making her turn his way. She let out a dry laugh and clenched her jaw.

“Nope. Hate ‘em. Can’t really be helped, though, so I’m gonna have to suck it up and just do it”, she said, squatting as she put her hands through her hair before resting her elbows on her knees. “Can’t trust anybody else to do this and I ain’t gonna risk someone else getting hurt trying to find this guy”.

Hancock squatted down beside her and offered her a cigarette which she gladly took and stuck between her lips. He went rummaging through his pockets for his lighter until she grabbed the back of his head and pulled him forward, almost forehead to forehead, and pressed her cigarette to his, taking a few breaths until it was lit.

“Thanks”, she mumbled, pulling back and taking a deep drag. He grinned and waggled his no brows.

“Anytime, sunshine. ‘Course, if you wanna just lay one on me next time, you don’t gotta use the cigarette as an excuse”, he teased, making her laugh and loosen up a bit, distracting her from the claustrophobia.

“I’ll remember that”, she smiled.

A few minutes passed and Doll flicked the butt of her cigarette away as she stood, her knees popping.

“Alright. Enough stalling. We gotta go”, she said, shaking herself out and turning to the power armor hunched over. Hancock stood as well, looking at the suit.

“Ya know, if it helps, I’ll carry your helmet for a while”, he said. “You don’t have to actually wear it til we get to the edge of the glowing sea”. She mulled the thought around for a moment and smiled.

“Sure. Thanks, Hancock”.

She carefully climbed into the suit and let it clamp shut around her as Hancock carefully took her helmet off, stuffing it into his bag.

“Does that help at all?” He asked, brow raised in concern. She nodded and took a deep breath.

“A lot actually. I appreciate it”.

“Eh, it’s what I’m here for. Now, let’s get this freak show on the road”, he grinned.

-

##  hope someone’s enjoying this. Feedback is cool.


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